The most popular car colours – and the least wanted
Choosing the right colour for your car is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when buying. But which are the most popular?...
Grey matters – as far as new-car buyers are concerned – because it remains Britain's most popular car colour for the eighth year in a row, according to official figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The data reveals that more than one in four (27.6%) of new cars arrived at dealerships in grey, ahead of black, which accounted for 23%. But in positive news for fans of non-monochrome colours, blue retains third place, with white in fourth.
Of the top-10 best-selling cars of 2025, seven were grey with the remaining three finished in a black hue.
The figures lay bare the choice of paint colours offered by car manufacturers: the majority of palettes focus on monochrome shades. For instance, five out of the seven colours available for the Ford Puma are black, white or grey.
Colour choices aren’t all black and white, though, because popular models such as the BMW 1 Series, Kia Sportage and Peugeot 208, are all available in brighter hues.
The least popular car colour was turquoise, with just 12 rolling out of showrooms in 2025.
One reason for this is to protect resale values. With the majority of buyers using some kind of finance, such as a personal contract purchase (PCP), it’s important to ensure the car is worth as much as possible when the finance comes to an end. Colours regarded as the ‘safer options’ help to preserve values because they’re easier to sell.
The UK’s most popular car colours in 2025
1. Grey
For the eighth year in a row, grey was the UK’s most popular new car colour, with a market share of more than a quarter (27.6%). In total, more than 558,000 grey cars rolled onto Britain’s roads – an increase of around 15,000 versus 2024. It’s the top choice for electric car buyers, too, with almost 132,000 grey EVs being registered
The country’s second best-selling car – the Kia Sportage – sold more in grey than any other colour, as did six other models in the top 10 best-sellers, including the Nissan Qashqai and Vauxhall Corsa.
2. Black
While black has previously been a favourite among buyers, holding the top spot between 2009 and 2012, it has remained second-best since it was overtaken by grey in 2018.
In 2025, more than 464,000 black cars were registered, which is the highest total since 2019, and marked the largest gain of any colour. It was the most popular colour for executive cars, luxury saloons and plug-in hybrids. It was also the top choice among buyers of Britain’s most popular car, the Ford Puma.
3. Blue
Blue was one of 2025’s new-car colour palette success stories, with an impressive 306,349 cars registered – totalling a market share of 15.16% up from 14.95% the previous year. Those figures beat white into fourth place for the second year in succession.
These numbers were driven by the perennially popular Ford Puma – indeed, you were more likely to encounter a newly-registered blue Puma than any other car in the colour.
4. White
Despite seeing the steepest fall in popularity, down 9%, white remains the 4th most popular colour, representing 13.1% of the new car market in 2025 – down from 14.9% in 2024.
The new car most likely to be seen in white is the Ford Puma, but unsurprisingly, it remains the most popular colour for vans: six in ten came finished in white, ahead of grey and black.
5. Silver
Silver dominated the colour charts in the early 2000s, but since then it’s fallen out of favour, with buyers flocking to visually similar grey models. But 2025 marked the first time it’s broken back into the top five since 2017 with a market share of 6.3%. But despite this, and highlighting the popularity of colours higher up this list, half as many silver cars were registered in 2025 compared with 2017.
Once again, it’s the Ford Puma which you’re most likely to see in silver.
6. Red
Historically associated with sporty models from the likes of Alfa Romeo or Ferrari, red slipped to sixth in 2025. Its 5.8% market share is the smallest since records began.
And the new car you’re most likely to see in red? Once again, it’s the Ford Puma.
Best of the rest
Nearly two-thirds of new cars sold in 2025 came in grey, black or blue, although there were some funkier paint schemes that rounded out the top 10.
Green cars are the most popular they’ve been in the last 20 years. While the hue remains in seventh place, the colour’s market share stands at 4.9%, with nearly 100,000 new cars arriving on Britain’s roads in the verdant colour. Poetically, the number of green-painted electric cars has almost doubled year-on-year.
Yellow slipped into eighth place, driven by models such as the Renault 5. Berkshire remains the hotspot for yellow cars, with 667 registrations in 2025.
Orange is in ninth, just 1111 registrations behind, and mauve rounded out the top ten – driven by the BMW 1 Series.
Britain’s least-popular car colours
In 2025, Britain’s least-popular car colour was turquoise, with just 12 finding homes. It fared worse than maroon and pink, but together the three hues accounted for just 342 registrations.
Why are certain colours more popular than others?
Monochromatic shades like grey, black and white are more popular because they generally tend to hold their value. Over time, buyers have become more conservative, so unobtrusive shades are more appealing to a wider range of people. This means that a car in that colour will often be worth more second-hand because it’s likely to be easier to sell.
However, trends continue to change, illustrated by the decline of red and blue, which were among the best-selling colours in the late 1990s. Popularity is nothing if not cyclical – think of vinyl records and film cameras which have all made a comeback recently. So, who knows – we might even see mustard yellows and browns from the 60s and 70s back on our roads in the not so distant future.
Only some types of model can pull off certain colours, though. Read our guide on the best colours for car resale values for a full explanation.
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